It is unfortunate that more than
300 children have missed their Primary Living Examinations, due to early
marriages and pregnancies.
Data
from a survey conducted by United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF)
indicates that 100 children from Kasese, 127 from Bugiri, and 67 from Katakwi
districts have missed sitting for their 2014 primary leaving examinations
(PLE). Majority of the pupils are girls who had earlier registered to sit for
the examinations but failed to turn up for the exams.
It is sad because most of the
victims are young girls who do not know how to make effective decisions on
their own and cannot sustain their new families. Yet, the risks of early
marriages and pregnancy contribute greatly to the poor economy of the country.
This is not unique to these
districts, especially Kasese, as cases of early marriages are a common incident
in the region, and have continued to happen.
However, should we sit back and
lie in the comfort of our beds, as some selfish parents enjoy the dowry of a
young and innocent child?
Parents, teachers, schools and
the government should rekindle the light of sex education among young children
in primary schools. A child should not miss her Primary Living Examinations and
ruin her future, by getting married, or engaging in sex at such an early stage,
while we sit and smile.
Schools should take a lead role
in teaching their pupils the value of assertiveness, as a way to fight against
such cases.
Surely, this disaster in Kasese,
Bugiri and Katakwi should not have forced our children into this predicament.
Not when government has trained has spread messages against early marriages and
trained schools through its Presidential Initiative on AIDS Strategy for
Communication to Youth (Uganda) program.
Thats very true
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